Marco
Polo was a Venetian merchant who was born in 1254. He joined his father and
uncle in their second visit to China in 1271. During the trip, Marco Polo
travelled extensively to the Mongol empire, the Chinese empire, the Indian
empire and as far down south as Burma. After his return to Venice over 20 years
later, a romance-writer, Rustichello of Pisa, help Marco Polo in transcribing
his dictions of the travel stories into a book, which is the original version
of The Travels of Marco Polo. As one of the earliest and most successful
attempts of the exploration of the eastern empires and their cultures, the book
soon ignited enthusiasm and fascination about the mysterious east in the
western world. In addition to be a best seller back then, historians have found
evidence from Chinese and Persian history, which attested the accuracy of facts
in the book. Some of the name translations by Marco Polo was even in accordance
with the original Chinese words, which shows that he had a deep understanding
of the cultures in the countries that he traveled to. After an analysis of the
social context and the identity of the writer, social wealth, including all the
products that are of value to the society, is the most essential factor in the
book The Travels of Marco Polo.

In
the introduction of the translated version of the book, the translator, Ronald
Latham, discusses about the factors that shape the book into what it is. The
role of the transcriber should not be underrated. He was responsible for the
language style of the book, which is leisurely and conversational. The plain
style in language highlighted the fascinations and added to the attractions of
the facts described, which is a smart way of story-telling. Naturally, Marco
Polo himself is of great importance as well. For each of the places he visited,
including West Asia, Middle Asia, East Asia and South Asia, Marco Polo made
detailed observations of the different businesses and the local cultures.
Reader were often lost in the fascinating alien cultures that they reading
about, that they forget the true identity of the storyteller, a merchant. The
value of Marco Polo’s book should not only be assessed based on its accuracy of
fact, but also on the profound influences the book had for the readers and the
western society back then. It wouldn’t be exaggerating to state that the
description of social wealth in the book was motivated the Europeans to set
sail into the world.

While
the western world developed highly civilized societies centered in religion,
the eastern cultures were also booming with a wide variety. Merchandises of
spice, silk and gems, as well as gold itself, were the major social wealth
items described by Marco Polo. Such items were not in abundance in Europe as
they were in the East, making them even more valuable to the eyes of the
western merchants and readers of Marco Polo’s book. The long winters in the
European continent makes storing food crucial for food in the winter times. The
use of spices can help preserve food for longer and be used for added flavors
in cooking. However, there is no place in Europe suitable for the mass
production of spices. in the southern parts of Asia where Marco Polo travelled
to, pepper, ginger and cinnamon were in great abundance. People were cooking
with spices, using spices to make wine, even regaling fragrant sweet spices on
their idols in the religious events. There were several times that Marco Polo
made descriptions about the spices that were never seen in his own country.

Gems
is another precious yet scarce merchandise in Europe, where only royalty and
nobles get to wear them. Marco Polo have seen the ropes of the Kubilai Khan
decorated with pearls and gems of immense value, the extravagant gems on the
toes of the King of India. Maabar and Ceylon is the place with the highest
production of gems in India, which makes the King of India extremely wealthy.
Such comparisons between the west and the east is the source of fascination of
the book. As one of the most famous merchandises of China, the silk industry in
China witnessed by Marco Polo was already highly developed in the 13th century.
In China, silk has become something not only for the royalty and emperors to
wear, but also for the rich merchants and even common men. Marco Polo also made
a description of the vibrancy of the economy of the 13th China, with a
financial system using the world’s first paper money.

In
his travels to the eastern world, what Marco Polo discovered and described was
a huge imbalance between natural resources and means of life between the east
and the west. Each of the country in the east were booming in its own ways
replying on the abundance of valuable industries and accumulation of social wealth.
Such an imbalance was the reason why so many of the readers of Marco Polo’s
book were inspired to set sail and explore the vastness of the world.
Christopher Columbus was one of the readers. The depiction of social wealth of
the east world was of significant historical values, because it became a
motivation for the westerners to step out of Europe, changing the world
fundamentally and setting it on the path of globalization.

Outline
and Notes on Social Wealth

Chapter
One

pp55.
The sea coast town Ayas in Armenia, Middle, was the place where all the inland
merchandises, including spices and cloths, gather into

Chapter
Two

pp80.
People of the Middle East make wine out of dates, with spices adding, making
the wine very good and fragrant.

pp138.
The feast day in Bakshi when the local people celebrated by regaling fragrant
sweet spices on their idols.

Chapter
Three

pp176.
The ropes of the Kubilai Khan were decorated with pearls and gems of immense
value

pp186.
Under the rule of the Khan all the loyal subjects must submit all the gems,
pearls, gold and silver in their possession

pp207.
City of Cho-chau is a commercial and industrial city producing fabric of silk
and gold

pp247.
The city of Tandinfu is the finest city in the region. The abundance here is
‘amazing”.

Chapter
Four

pp223.
Several mentioning of spices that are “never seen in the country before” in
China

pp259.
The means of life is very plentiful in Hwai-ngan-chau

Chapter
Five

pp319.
Java Island is the place where many precious spices can be found, it’s a rich
island producing pepper, nutmegs, spikenards, galingale, cubebs and cloves.

pp328.
“they have abundance of spices of every kind. Their food is rice and mile, and
every sort of flesh”

Chapter
Seven

pp370.
Great abundance of pepper, ginger and cinnamon in India

pp331.
Maabar and Ceylon in the India Empire produce most of the pearls and gems in
the world, including rubies, sapphires, emeralds etc.

pp334.the
King of India wore extravagant gems even on his toes to show his status and
wealth